TfL Annual Travel Report (3)

Nicky Gavron: Why has the journey stage-based mode share of walking gone down slightly since 2000?

The Mayor: This primarily reflects the large increases in public transport journey stages over this period. Rail stages have increased by 86 per cent, Underground stages by 42 per cent and bus stages by 67 per cent, whereas walk stages are estimated to have increased by 23 per cent, which is broadly in line with population growth.

Crossrail

Caroline Pidgeon: Will you make a commitment that TfL will continue to publish Jacobs Crossrail Project Representative reports throughout the weeks of the pre-election period for the 2020 Greater London Authority elections?

The Mayor: In line with the KPMG recommendations and the commitments I made for greater transparency of the Crossrail project, the most recent Project Representative reports are now included as part of the regular update to the Programmes and Investment Committee.
Versions of the reports with appropriate redactions applied are also published on the Transport for London (TfL) website to coincide with the committee meetings. The next meeting of the Programmes and Investment Committee is on Thursday 5 March and the following meeting is expected to be after the election. TfL will continue to publish the Project Representative reports in line with my commitment.

TfL Annual Travel Report (5)

Nicky Gavron: We know that the ULEZ will reduce car traffic and congestion. Have you examined the potential for making better use of land freed up by lower demand for parking, given lower vehicle traffic as a result of the ULEZ?

The Mayor: The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is part of a wider set of transformational policies for the road network. Most on street parking is administered by the relevant boroughs, although provision on the Transport for London Road Network is kept under regular review.
Data published in my six month report on the ULEZ shows that there was a reduction in traffic flows in central London in May and September 2019 of between three and nine per cent when compared to 2018. However, further analysis is required to better understand the complex changes in traffic flows resulting from the scheme.
Even without the ULEZ however, traffic volumes in central London have reduced by approximately one quarter over the last decade (Travel in London Report 12, page 151), reflecting a variety of road network specific policies as well as wider trends. As traffic has reduced, some of the capacity freed up has been used to support Healthy Streets policies, including improvements to road safety and to enable active travel.

TfL Annual Travel Report (4)

Nicky Gavron: Car ownership has remained stable across London since 2006. What projections have you made on the impact of the ULEZ on car ownership?

The Mayor: Recent trends in car ownership in London are described in section 4.4 of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Travel in London Report 12. They show, in the context of a growing population, a slowly declining trend in car ownership overall (figure 4.12), but with greater reductions in central and inner London, and an overall reduction in car use.
The main objective of the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is to reduce pollution from road traffic and the primary effect would be to encourage vehicle owners to upgrade their vehicles to meet the new emissions standards. These expected changes were fully described in the consultation material for the scheme. A secondary effect on car use, including a seven per cent reduction in car trips to the zone, was also expected and quantified.
While a very small effect on car ownership itself might also be expected, decisions about whether to own a car reflect a very wide range of factors and any specific ULEZ contribution has not therefore been formally quantified.

Enforcement notices against buildings with ACM cladding

Andrew Dismore: How many buildings with ACM cladding have had enforcement notices issued to them by the London Fire Brigade?

The Mayor: A total of 19 enforcement notices have been issued to buildings with ACM cladding.Those notices related to deficiencies in the general fire precautions within those buildings.

Queen’s speech 2019 - fire safety bill

Andrew Dismore: What discussions have you had with the Government regarding the Fire Safety Bill outlined in the December 2019 Queen’s speech?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) officers have had initial discussions with the Government regarding the issues that were announced in the Queen’s Speech to be included in the Fire Safety Bill and the Building Safety Bill. LFB provided significant contributions to inform the recommendations that came out of the Dame Judith Hackitt review and officers will be keen to help shape the Bills to enable those recommendations to be delivered. The London Fire Commissioner is meeting the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service in January, and these issues will be discussed at that meeting.

Falls on train tracks

Susan Hall: For each of the years December 2016 to November 2017, December 2017 to November 2018 and December 2018 to November 2019, how many instances of people falling on tube and overground train tracks have been recorded, broken down by line? Further to this, if recorded, how many of these were the result of intentional pushing?

The Mayor: London Underground
The table below details the breakdown of the amount of customer incidents that have resulted in an individual falling onto London Underground tracks. The number of those incidents which are recorded as acts of intentional pushing are included in brackets.
Line
Dec 2016 – Nov 2017
Dec 2017 – Nov 2018
Dec 2018 – Nov 2019
Total
Bakerloo
1
2
3
17
Central
6
9 (1)
7
44
Circle and Hammersmith and City
1 (1)
2
2
19
District
5
6
7
52
Jubilee
2
3
2
21
Metropolitan
-
-
2 (2)
12
Northern
1 (1)
8
5
50
Piccadilly
5
2
5
40
Victoria
5
5
6 (1)
35
Total
26 (2)
37 (1)
39 (3)
290 (9)
London Overground
The table below details the breakdown of the amount of customer incidents that have resulted in an individual falling onto London Overground tracks. These are broken down by years from December 2011 to November 2019. The number of those incidents which are recorded as acts of intentional pushing are included in brackets.
Line
Dec 2016 – Nov 2017
Dec 2017 – Nov 2018
Dec 2018 – Nov 2019
Total
London Overground
8
5
8 (1)
44

Mayer Review three years on

Andrew Dismore: The Mayer review recommended that no further reduction to the London Fire Brigade’s funding be made, following the previous Mayor’s cuts programme. Do you still hold by this recommendation?

The Mayor: Yes. However, the HMICFRS inspection report made clear that the London Fire Brigade (LFB) needs to make more effective use of the resources available to it. I will be working with the new Commissioner, Andy Roe, to ensure that the Brigade addresses, this alongside all other recommendations from both the HMICFRS report and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 1 report.

Impact of Brexit on London

Leonie Cooper: Your GLA Economics Team produced an excellent briefing on the economic impact of Brexit which sets out five scenarios (https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/brexit-analysis-final.pdf, page 6). Which of these scenarios do you believe the proposed Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration are closest to?

The Mayor: We are closest to scenario four, which assessed the impact of trade between the UK and the EU falls under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules after a two-year transition period starting on March 2019*. How close will ultimately depend on what trade agreements the Government can finalise with the EU before 31 December 2020.
There is unlikely to be time to negotiate sensible new agreements with the EU, because the Government has said it wishes to diverge from existing EU rules (without specifying how) and will also not extend the transition period. By ruling out sensible options like single market and customs union membership we face the prospect of a very poor free trade agreement at best. Trade with the EU would default to WTO rules in any areas not covered.
* The source report can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/preparing_for_brexit_final_report.pdf

Impact of Brexit on Living Standards

Leonie Cooper: Has Brexit uncertainty since 2016 affected the cost of living for Londoners?

The Mayor: Yes. The Brexit referendum result weakened the pound and the ensuing uncertainty weakened the economy; contributing to higher import costs and inflation. This leaves everyone worse off.
Conversely, rents and house price growth have been easing, offsetting the costs of Brexit for some Londoners.
The Government now has 11 months to agree a trade deal with the EU. As government has ruled out either extending this 11-month transition period or continued single market and customs union membership, Londoners face the prospect of no or a very poor free trade agreement on 31 December 2020. This would further damage London’s economy and push vulnerable Londoners into poverty.
I will continue to fight for a deal that retains the closest alignment with the EU and protects the rights of European Londoners, as that is in the best interests of London’s economy and people.

Support for Businesses in Enfield & Haringey

Joanne McCartney: What support have you given to local businesses in Enfield & Haringey since you became Mayor?

The Mayor: The London Growth Hub has been my key mechanism for supporting enterprise in London. Following the launch of its online portal, a range of support initiatives to help business been put in place across London.
Since November 2019,the London Growth Hubhas launched a new business support offer through five physical sites (one at the Trampery, Tottenham) and four satellites (one at Wood Green library). All sites are staffed with business advisors and also run business support workshops, to help businesses grow, increase productivity and become resilient to the potential economic challenges brought by Brexit.
Through the Good Growth Fund, I have allocated £2.9 million to projects in Wood Green and Tottenham in Haringey, to support a range of regeneration initiatives including the creation of new affordable workspace, SME business support and the creation of a dedicated tailoring academy. The Enterprise Enfield ‘Transform and Perform’ project has also received £75k of Good Growth development funding to support female entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

Monitoring LFB’s performance

Andrew Dismore: Following the concerning HMICFRS report into the London Fire Brigade, how will you monitor the progress of the Brigade in making the improvements requested, and when will such a system be in place?

The Mayor: I have regular monthly meetings with the London Fire Commissioner and the Deputy Mayor. Additionally, the Deputy Mayor has a monthly Fire and Resilience Board meeting with the Brigade’s senior officers which will receive updates and scrutinise progress against the required improvements. My Deputy Mayor is working with the Brigade on proposals for improved assurance arrangements, and will consult the Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee to ensure Assembly Members have confidence in the rigour of the assurance process.

Command unit crewing (2)

Andrew Dismore: Please provide an update on changes to crewing that may affect the availability of command units in the London Fire Brigade.

The Mayor: The changes that are proposed under the command unit integration project will see the number of Command Unit trained staff rise from 96 to a minimum of 244. This will be a significant improvement and increase resilience for the command unit function.

Carbon reduction on LFB’s estate

Andrew Dismore: What actions is London Fire Brigade taking to reduce the carbon footprint of its current and future estate?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) carbon emissions have reduced by 50.3 per cent from 1990 levels, largely due to improvements made to the estate, including energy efficient heating, lighting, insulation measures and solar photovoltaics. LFB’s new carbon strategy (2019-2025) sets out plans to achieve a 60 per cent reduction target, and the direction of travel required to work towards carbon zero by 2050. The strategy proposes a three-year programme of future works to the estate to deliver further energy efficiency improvements and onsite renewable energy installations and plans to move to 100 per cent renewable electricity supply.

Charging for false alarms

Andrew Dismore: Are there any plans to restart charging for false alarm callouts?

The Mayor: A new team dedicated to the reduction of false alarm callouts has recently been established by London Fire Brigade (LFB). A range of measures are currently being devised, reviewed and implemented by the team to support false alarm reduction practices. However, the key to effective reduction is on site call filtering supported by Control. An extension to filtering by LFB Control Operators was introduced in November 2019.A revised approach to cost recovery will be implemented this year, subject to legal advice. It will apply in limited circumstances, specifically where there is a failure to adopt or adhere to a reasonable false alarm reduction plan, and where sufficient evidence is available to meet the legislative threshold for charging.